Shalimar Bagh

Shalimar Garden is a Mughal garden linked through a channel to the northeast ofDal Lake, on its right bank located atnear Srinagar cityin the Jammu and Kashmir. Its other names are Shalamar Garden, Shalamar Bagh, Farah Baksh and Faiz Baksh, and the other famous shore line garden in the vicinity is Nishat Bagh. The Bagh was built by Mughal Emperor Jahangir for his wife Nur Jahan, in 1619. The Bagh is considered thehigh point of Mughal horticulture. It is now a public park

hile the recent history and development of the Mughal types of gardens is credited to Emperor Jahangir of the Mughal Dynasty, the ancient history of the garden is traced to the 2nd century when it was built during the reign of Pravarsena II. Praversena II founded the city of Srinagar and ruled in Kashmir from 79 AD to 139 AD. He had built a cottage for his stay at the northeastern corner of the Dal Lake and had named it Shalimar (means Abode or Hall of Love Sanskrit). The king, on his visits to a local saint by the name Sukarma Swami at Harwan, used to stop at this cottage. Over the years, the cottage fell into ruins and later could not be located. However, the village name remained as Shalimar.

It is here that Emperor Jahangir built his celebrated Shalimar Bagh, his dream project to please his queen. He enlarged the ancient garden in 1619 into a royal garden and called it Farah Baksh (the delightful). He built it for his wife Nur Jahan,%(light of the world). In 1630, under Emperor Shah Jahans orders, Zafar Khan the governor of Kashmir got it extended. He named it Faiz Baksh (the bountiful). It then became a pleasure place for the Pathan and Sikh governors who followed Zafar Khan.During the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh the marble pavilion was the guest house for European visitors. Electrification of the premises was done during Maharaja Hari Singhs rule. Thus, over the years, the garden was extended and improved by many rulers and called by different names, but the most popular name Shalimar Bagh continues to this day.